Miners are feared dead

A second explosion at a New Zealand coal mine Wednesday wiped out all hope of rescuing the 29 miners missing after a powerful blast six days ago.

Police and mine bosses in the South Island town of Greymouth said that, just as a 16-man rescue team was preparing to enter the Pike River mine, a huge explosion ended all hope.

The blast, caused by a build-up of methane within the mine, made it "extremely unlikely" that anyone could have survived, bosses said.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/world/Second+blast+ends+hope+saving+miners+Zealand/3874784/story.html#ixzz16EatlG3z

Our prayers are with your families and friends.

NZ miners trapped

In case you haven't heard, NZ had a mine explosion last week and the miners are still trapped underground.  Please pray for them and their families.

Rescuers waiting for the all-clear to enter the Pike River mine face a harrowing two-hour walk, carrying up to 24 kilograms of equipment, to search for their trapped "brothers".

One of the missing men is one of their own – a Mines Rescue worker. But the situation is so dangerous that a worker taking samples from the surface of the mine on Saturday had to be evacuated.

As soon as the poisonous gases have reduced to safe levels in the chambers, the rescuers assembled at the mine entrance will make their painstaking descent.

"The logistics of deployment underground are quite vast," said Trevor Watt, general manager of NZ Mine Rescue.

You can read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4370664/Mine-search-to-start-with-two-hour-slog

and here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4370668/Mine-disaster-The-agony-of-waiting